Sabbath of Rest at Killarney

Asenath Nicholson

Ireland's Welcome to the Stranger

1847

Chapter XXI (12) | Start of Chapter

Everything was done by the good Mrs. C. at the lodging-house, to make me forget the sorrows of the last twenty-four hours; and a Sabbath of quiet so refreshed me, that on Monday I ventured upon new perils. I had found in all my tedious walks that a night's rest restored me to vigor, so that I was prepared for a fresh undertaking every morning, even when chairs, or a pile of straw might be the bed. Not so with a ride upon a coach. It was almost impossible to secure a seat; and when, by the crowding and jolting of a day's jaunt, I became fatigued, this fatigue made a visit often of many days.

Ireland’s Welome to the Stranger is one of the best accounts of Irish social conditions, customs, quirks and habits that you could wish for. The author, Mrs Asenath Nicholson, was an American widow who travelled extensively in Ireland on the eve of the Great Famine and meticulously observed the Irish peasantry at work and play, as well as noting their living conditions and diet. The book is also available from Kindle.

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An American widow’s account of her travels in Ireland in 1844–45 on the eve of the Great Famine:

Ireland’s Welcome to the Stranger

Sailing from New York, she set out to determine the condition of the Irish poor and discover why so many were emigrating to her home country.

Mrs Nicholson’s recollections of her tour among the peasantry are still revealing and gripping today.

The author returned to Ireland in 1847–49 to help with famine relief and recorded those experiences in the rather harrowing: Annals of the Famine in Ireland.

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